One of the men accused of killing Jam Master Jay was denied bond on Thursday (March 3).
A Brooklyn judge rejected Karl Jordan Jr.’s request to be released on a $1 million bond. Prosecutors say Jordan fired the shot that killed Jam Master Jay at the Run-DMC DJ’s recording studio in Queens on October 30, 2002.
Jordan’s been locked up at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn since his arrest in August 2020. His attorneys said 16 people helped him come up with the proposed $1 million.
The 38-year-old suspect’s legal team argued he’s at risk of catching COVID-19 while incarcerated because he only has one kidney. Jordan suggested wearing a monitoring device and staying in home detention as an alternative to remaining in jail until his trial.
U.S. District Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall dismissed the COVID-19 risk argument, denying his request for bail. But Hall also scoffed at the prosecution citing Jordan’s rap lyrics as evidence for why he should remain behind bars.
Jam Master Jay’s murder remained unsolved for almost two decades. Jordan and another man, Ronald Washington, were charged for their alleged roles in the DJ’s death in 2020.
Prosecutors claim Jam Master Jay, whose real name was Jason Mizell, was killed over a cocaine deal gone wrong. Jordan and Washington were indicted on murder, firearms and drug charges.
Jordan faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison if convicted of murder. His trial is scheduled for February 2023.
